Persona: Journey of Fire and Ash
by ZetaCommand
Summary: He was supposed to be dead. Haruhiro was prepared to trade his life for his friends. But something unexpected occurs, something that involves what a long-nosed man and his attendant call - Persona.
1. Chapter 1

**Journey of Fire and Ash**

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Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or Grimgar.

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~ Siren Mines ~

"Guys...come back." Haruhiro muttered. His breathing was becoming labored now, the very act of his chest expanding bringing a painful lance to, well, everything.

In his desperation to slow down the freak Kobold known as Deathpatch he threw himself recklessly into his foe while begging his teammates to run. They complied, still filled with too much fear to argue with him. In the end, the flight response instinct prevailed and they fled after a much needed seconding from Ranta (of all people).

First task accomplished.

The second task, however, was significantly harder to achieve. Sadly his enemy didn't even consider him worth more than a few moments of its time. Every single thing he tried to distract the beast was either ignored or casually brushed away. He knew what this was. Deathpatch probably understood what he was trying to do, and it wasn't entirely stupid, having fought numerous Volunteer Soldiers who were either unlucky enough to encounter him or too overconfident for their own good.

When taunts and yells failed, Haruhiro launched what few throwing knives he had left. Once again, Deathpatch continued his steady pace in the direction his team had fled, mostly likely the level's ladder, while releasing what passed for a chuckle among his misbegotten kind when the knives hit. It was then that the last ounce of self-preservation within Haruhiro broke. If he didn't do something soon the beast would reach the ladder and then...

The brown haired boy gripped his knife, inhaled once to steady his nerves and charged towards his target. He did not yell. Haruhiro was a Thief. He was, by nature, a quiet person and any primeval instinct to yell was beaten out of him by Master Barbara during their training sessions (with a smile on her face, of course).

Haruhiro initiated [Backstab], the preferred attack of all thieves. He closed the distance rapidly, with the surroundings becoming a blur. Haruhiro sank his blade into Deathpatch's flesh to the hilt. But the beast was too large, his special attribute not even needing to activate. It didn't even seem to cause it too much pain.

But it noticed him now.

With a savage swing, it backhanded him several paces away. Once it saw he was down it gave a petulant snort and turned once more towards the level's exit.

 _Summon us..._

Haruhiro thought someone was whispering in his ear, but dismissed it. The others had already left and the sentence made no sense whatsoever. He wasn't a mage like Shihoru.

With a groan Haruhiro forced himself up. His class wasn't meant to fight or even take hits for that matter. The young Thief was rising on willpower alone. His vision blurred with pain, as fought to stay conscious. And then he saw it...

As he watched Deathpatch's back recede in the distance there was a glowing spot on his back, a vulnerable point. He'd seen this before when they were fighting Goblins, but it happened only occasionally, which is why he supposed it did not appear a while ago when he first attacked the mutant Kobold. Haruhiro had told Master Barbara about it and while the veteran Thief acknowledged its existence, she warned him not to rely on it due to its finicky nature. However, it was not just the appearance of the "spot" that gave him hope, but rather a line.

It was a glowing line that stretched from the "spot" to his dagger. When his arm wavered to his weakened state the line didn't break, instead it curved as if refusing to let his blade stray from the "spot". Those two were what gave him strength. The glowing line and the "spot" was his hope.

 _There..._

The voice whispered once again.

 _Strike..._

Haruhiro charged. Once again the creature ignored him. Once again his blade sank into its flesh.

But this time Deathpatch _died_.

It thrashed violently, loosing a pained roar before it finally keeled over. During the time it took for Deathpatch to die Haruhiro was further pummeled by hits from its elbows, feet and he even thought he was slammed into a wall. All this time the boy twisted the knife knowing that every moment of pain for Deathpatch was a moment bought for his friends.

As Haruhiro collapsed on Deathpatch's furry chest, he smiled. It was dead, it wasn't breathing.

He killed it, but Deathpatch also killed him.

He could feel his strength, his _life_ , leaving him, like water in cupped palms. This world, the world they woke up to wasn't fair. He killed the enemy, and yet he was...

"Will I become like the others?" He wondered as he remembered _that_ state of Mary's former teammates. His last thoughts as he blacked out were on the team's newest Priest, hoping that she and the others would at least come back to purify his zombified corpse...

* * *

~ Unknown Place ~*

Haruhiro blinked as he regained his focus. He was in a carriage. He could tell because he could hear the clacking of horse hooves from the outside, only he could not see because of a thick fog kept out by windows.

The interior of the carriage was large. Very large. The one other notable thing about the interior was that it was dominated by one color: Blue Velvet. Whether it was royal hue of the curtains or or the muted tone of the soft, thick carpet it was always a shade of the color. He gasped in surprise as he noticed a table across the rather large room. Seated behind it was a bald man with very large, pointed nose and sharp ears. His eyes were bulging and his irises were pinpricks as if the man (if you could call him that) was perpetually in a high emotional state. He was dressed in an attire that Haruhiro's subconscious identified but, as with all familiar things since coming to this wretched world, he could not identify.

"Am I dead?" Haruhiro wondered, "Is he a god, come to judge me or merely guide to the afterlife?"

It was probably the latter, it explained the carriage theme. Then, as if alerted to his presence by his thoughts the hunched man spoke.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," he greeted in a rough but cultured voice, "I am Igor, the Proprietor here. I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

"Please, sit." The bizarre old man offered him the seat in front of the table.

Haruhiro cautiously stepped forward and took the seat. He was partially surprised that while his mind registered the cushion as soft, he couldn't feel it.

"Yeah, definitely dead." He thought sorrowfully.

"It has been _so long_ since we've had a guest," Igor said after Haruhiro sat down, "And you are certainly different from the last few we've had."

"Great," Haruhiro thought sourly, "I'm such a weakling that they didn't really have any real work up until now. Probably ruined their coffee break."

Huh? What was coffee?

There it was again. Him, and the others, using terms he knew but could vaguely remember. Curse this world and the ones who brought him there.

"Am I dead?" Haruhiro asked quietly. He wanted to confirm his earlier suspicions. When those storytellers that often passed by town told of heroic exploits they normally left the details about what happened afterwards. They couldn't know after all, being alive and whatnot.

"No, not all." Igor chuckled, "Our guests are never dead when they enter...or leave the Velvet Room."

Haruhiro let out a tired sigh. He wasn't dead, but if so...

"Where are we then?" He asked. Realizing how poorly worded the question was he amended it quickly, "How did you get me out of the mines?"

"This place exists beyond time and space," Igor replied, "Its purpose, as well as ours, to aid our guests in their journey."

Igor's answer raised more questions than answers for the sleepy-eyed Thief.

"You said ' _our_ '..." Haruhiro began, until he noticed a presence behind a velvet curtain behind Igor.

"Indeed," Igor acknowledged, "I am not the sole resident here. Tell me. What do you see?"

Haruhiro squinted, straining to see behind the semi-opaque curtain.

"A girl." He said finally.

"Good." Igor smiled, "It is as you say. Step forward child."

At his command the girl stepped forward and Haruhiro's eyes widened.

A girl stepped out from behind the curtain, dressed in alternating colors of orange and red. Her coat and knee-length, high-heeled boots were a shade of orange. The girl's auburn hair was let down to her shoulders while a barrette hair clip, shaped like XXII, kept it tucked to one side behind her ear. Red defined the accessories she wore, such as the rings that kept her coat closed. Her eyes as well were a shade of red that looked eerily like fresh blood. It was for these reasons that she stood out prominently in the Velvet Room, like a candle in the night.

Haruhiro spotted other things as well that he thought he should know but couldn't name once again. He identified these things as MP3 player, holster and gun. His treacherous memories once more failed to give him more information on these familiar items but he knew at least that 'gun' was something dangerous.

"This is Minako," Igor introduced the girl, "My assistant-in-training. I have other helpers but sadly, they are preoccupied with their own journeys."

The auburn haired assistant was scrutinizing him now, and he felt a chill in the air, almost like _something_ changed.

"He certainly is _different_ ," Minako said in a light tone as she finally completed her analysis, "He heard the call, but didn't answer. I can't even tell if has the _ability._ "

A memory surfaced in Haruhiro's mind unbidden.

 _"You guys are a mess..." Mary observed on her first day on the team._

Both girl's words stung Haruhiro. Ever since he saw the "spot" of light early in his days as a Thief, he had thought that he had some talent despite Master Barbara's warning on not to rely on it too much. Part of him desperately wanted to catch up to the other trainees, who had earned their badges months ago, since they called him and his team as "The Goblin Slayers". In other words, they killed only the weakest creatures in Grimgar while Renji and Souma's teams killed god-knows-what on a regular basis.

"Now, now child," Igor chided Minako, "All who hear the call have the potential. That is why his case is interesting as he ended up here despite not calling forth his Persona."

"Do forgive her, she is new at her duty," Igor said looking back to his guest, "She has always been like that. So unlike my other assistants, but equally capable for the tasks I require."

"Persona?" Haruhiro half-asked, half-muttered.

"You will learn soon enough dear boy," Igor said, "In the meantime, it is customary for our guests to sign a contract."

The long-nosed man swept his hand over the table and a single piece of paper held in place by a red leather pad appeared as the movement completed itself. Beside it was a quill and some ink in a porcelain container.

Haruhiro leaned forward to check the contents and found that there was only a single sentence:

 _ **I chooseth this fate of my own free will.**_

This was all very baffling to Haruhiro. One minute he thought he was dead and now this. The sentence didn't even make any sense. He felt an immense pressure upon reading the single sentence and it wasn't good. He tried asking once more.

"What will happen if I sign this?" he asked, "Will I work for you?"

"No, no." Igor replied, slowly shaking his head, "As I said, our purpose is to _aid_ our guests in their journey. We cannot interfere with the decisions you make nor aid you beyond the Velvet Room."

"In short, our help is limited but essential in your journey." Minako smiled thinly.

"We only ask that you accept responsibility for your actions." Igor said, holding out a hand, "That is all there is to it."

Haruhiro took the quill and prepared to sign the "contract".

He hesitated.

What would he be signing away? His soul? His Life? He was supposed to be dead. He had prepared to sacrifice himself to save his teammates. If he signed this and he went back it would be back to the grind again. Only he or they might not be as lucky.

"It was just luck that you killed Deathpatch." His pessimistic mind whispered treacherously.

However, Igor had said something about those who were guests of the room had potential. Even Minako, in her own way, acknowledged he was different from the rest. It was then that Haruhiro felt something he hadn't felt since Manato died.

Hope.

Hope for a better life. That he and his team could make something here in this world.

He signed the contract.

No sooner had he lifted the quill did Minako snap up the contract and handed it to Igor. Haruhiro hadn't even _seen_ her move. He began to feel a new trepidation towards the red-eyed girl.

"Now then, time marches on in your world." Igor said as he confirmed Haruhiro's signature, "We won't keep you here longer than necessary as we shall meet again soon enough."

"Bye Haruhiro!" Minako flashed an angelic smile that would have made even someone like Renji blush, "I look forward to accompanying you on your journey."

* * *

~ Siren Mines ~

"-iro"

"-y aren't you healing him damn it?!"

"I _am_ healing him! I am not sure why he is not res-"

"Haruhiro!"

Haruhiro opened his eyes. His vision was blurred and he could feel something wet and warm on his cheeks.

As his sight cleared he saw Yume crying over him with Mary standing behind her face impassive but eyes heavy with relief. Mogzo had his sword raised in a defensive position, guarding the group while Shihoru was crying with joy on her knees.

"Geez! Took you long enough!" Ranta exclaimed throwing up his arms in exasperation, "This is no time to take a nap!"

"Quiet!" Mary ordered, "Mogzo, carry him. The rest of you prepare to move! We're leaving."

"You came back." Haruhiro whispered.

"Of course you idiot!" Yume

"Yeah, even I felt bad when you cried ou-" Ranta stopped in mid-speech as Mary fixed him with a death glare.

"Thanks..." Haruhiro muttered, "Its good to be back."

* * *

Author's note:

*The Velvet Room theme plays

So...here's another thing that I couldn't get out of my mind until I typed it. This is originally intended to be a one-shot of Grimgar and while I normally wouldn't say this, I may continue it if enough people ask. You can say so in the review or a PM. I'll wait a month or so before deciding.

Grimgar certainly is interesting. Its not like Overlord where the characters are overpowered (which is played for laughs, and I like it) or other you've-been-transported-to-another-world stories.

For the Persona fans out there, yes. _Its that Minako_ from P3P. Why is she an attendant? I can answer that in the PM or later chapters if this thing takes off, but the short answer is: Potential. Her appearance here, clothes wise, is a fusion between Margaret and Elizabeth except for the color scheme. As described above, she is like fire in the dark and she also kept her Evoker or at least a manifestation of it.

While Haruhiro didn't summon a Persona here, it was the reason why Igor finds his _case_ so interesting, unlike the other protagonists whose _persons_ were what interested Igor. If you have suggestions on what his persona could be please say so.

As to the carriage...the carriage theme of the Velvet Room was the most appropriate I can think of since in relation to the "Journey" theme of the Person games. There certainly is mystery in Grimgar, with its multiple realms and even has a shadow realm. Hence this fanfic.

So, tell what you think of the one shot and/or if you want this to continue.

Until next time.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

AWAKENING

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Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or Grimgar.

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~ Damroww, Grimgar ~

Haruhiro bent down and took notes of Goblin patrols. He and Yume had been reconnoitering Damroww for about three days now. They took turns as observer and sentry, with the former taking down notes. Eventually though, Haruhiro offered to be the one to take down notes as Yume's tended to...drift a bit out of topic if she became bored. After several hours of hiding in bushes or other areas the Goblins were unlikely to approach and observing the paths they took, Haruhiro had finally began to detect a pattern.

If a Goblin was alone it would normally be very quiet and more alert. On the other hand, if they were in groups they were more relaxed and made noises that might have been them speaking in a disturbing mimicry of Human parties. Furthermore, the lone Goblins would normally take paths that eventually crossed with another solo Goblin, ensuring that if one was missed, there was a chance that the others would raise an alarm before long. Things were definitely different since those boss Goblins (whatever they were called) moved in.

However, Haruhiro and Yume discovered that the Goblins that traveled in groups weren't necessarily patrolling the city as they usually went back to a place they claimed as a hideout and did "Gobliny" things as Yume described more than once in her notes.

More importantly though, they had discovered the location of the boss Goblin. The one that was responsible for the unusual congregation of Goblins in Damroww.

The same type as the one that killed Manato.

Unsurprisingly, it was in the largest and most intact building of the section of the city. It also had a fairly large cadre of Hobgoblins as bodyguards. That new piece of information was going make things tougher than he imagined.

Not for the first time did he regret his public declaration days ago.

Satisfied that they observed all that they could given the circumstances, Haruhiro made the signal that they were pulling out.

Yume nodded from her position and unpacked her bow, then she made her way to his position. For his part, Haruhiro stored the journal he used in taking down notes and waited for Yume.

The duo quietly made their way through the ruined city based on the sketches they made beforehand. Haruhiro's mind felt a bit of reassurance since their map proved reliable as they avoided any Goblin patrols that happened along the way out of the city. Soon, after what seemed to be an hour or so the ruins gave way to the soft greens of the forest that was slowly retaking the city. Maintaining their brisk pace for another hour or so, they met up with the rest of the group that was waiting in a semi-defensible position just a ways off the main paths.

Arranged in a semi-circle, the rest of Haruhiro's team waited in a half-alert state. Mogzo was preparing a light meal that didn't require heating since that might attract unwanted attention. Shihoru, their Shadow Mage, was looking around somewhat nervously and clutched her staff close by. Ranta, the team's Dread Knight, was in an extremely comfortable and lazy position on a rock, one leg swinging boredly. Mary, the group's Priest and newest addition, leaned on a nearby tree seemingly at ease, though Haruhiro knew better. Mary was the only veteran in the team and would have earned her badge long ago if not for...distressing circumstances.

As they cleared the bushes, the team tensed up but relaxed after seeing Haruhiro and Yume.

"Took ya long enough!" Ranta groused, as he began picking his nose, "Did you have to stop and feel each other on the way back or something? Not that Yume has anything to feel to begin with."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Yume snapped.

Haruhiro bristled visibly at the jab. Ranta was annoying on a good day but sometimes he could be a downright ass. The Dread Knight had refused to let go of the misunderstanding that he and Yume were only holding on to each other in grief at that time. However, the Thief didn't say anything as Yume was already arguing on his behalf. It was sight much more common after the "hugging incident".

"Just in time for snacks." Mogzo greeted as he handed Haruhiro a sandwich.

"Thanks." Mogzo's cooking was the best.

Technically that was true, primarily because no one else knew how to cook very well to begin with.

He turned to see that the argument was reaching its apex, and Haruhiro was not in the mood to reenter that event today or any day for that matter.

"Can you handle them?" He gestured to the bickering pair, "I'll handle the rest."

"Sure."

Haruhiro was internally proud that he had begun to take notice of his teammate's roles and characteristics. He knew that only two people could silence a fight between Ranta and Yume - Mary or Mogzo. Though outsiders might not be able to tell initially, Mogzo's anger was slow but frightening when when unleashed and he and Ranta experienced that first hand when they were mourning Manato's passing.

"Here." He offered Shihoru a sandwich and the lavender haired girl dipped her head shyly, "Come on, it's not your fault."

Occasionally he had to remind Shihoru that he didn't feel she was responsible for Ranta's snipes about "the hugging" when she apologized.

Slowly, she took the proffered sandwich but didn't rise from her seat or speak.

Haruhiro then walked over to Mary. She had picked a really nice spot under the tree's shade. Maybe he should look for a spot he could relax under back in the city on his free days.

"Anything happen while we were away?" He asked as he handed her the sandwich.

"Nothing." Mary replied curtly. He nodded at her as he sat down on a rock.

By now, Haruhiro had gotten used to her behavior and found that he was fine with her silence.

As he munched on his snack, the reluctant leader ran through his options now that the first half of the plan was complete. At some point the bickering had stopped and all the members were now preoccupied with their food which was comforting.

Upon finishing the last bite of his meal, Haruhiro decided. They'd be at optimum condition to conduct the raid the day after tomorrow. The reason for this was that an extra day to prepare was the safest bet for the team. Its not like the Goblins were going anywhere - Were they?

He made this announcement to the team, minus the Goblin part, and Ranta predictably opposed it.

"Are your balls made out wet tissue paper Haru?" Ranta exclaimed, pointing his finger at him challengingly, "I say we head over there and kick their assess right now! We've been waiting for weeks!"

"We're on a nickname basis now?" Haruhiro felt himself losing his patience with Ranta. Again. First he insults both Yume and him and now this? "And its only been three days. We get ready tomorrow, and then go in as planned. Five days is not a week. Do the math."

"I don't need to do the math!" Ranta declared with confidence, "All I need is a good shot at them and BAM! No more Goblins! You're a coward!"

"I remember that we found someone covered in mud and hiding with the livestock back in the mines..." Mary said quietly from the sides.

"Yeah, it was called _evasive maneuvers_!" Ranta turned around, "What would you have done?"

"Something a bit more dignified."

"Why...you-" Ranta spluttered.

Haruhiro smiled internally. In times like this Mary was a real lifesaver, aside from her doing her job of course. She was not someone you argued with and expected an easy victory.

A few minutes passed and the group packed up and began to head to Altana. During the trip Haruhiro thought about how he had gotten the team into this mess and wondered again if he could have handled it differently...

* * *

~ Sherry's Tavern, Altana. Three days ago. ~

 _The group made its way to their unofficial spot at Sherry's much like they always did after a long day. Due to their frequenting of the Siren Mines, their standard of living had greatly improved and it could be seen in the number of times they came to Sherry's Tavern for dinner or in their casual clothes and gear (to those who cared to remember the ragtag group). It goes without saying that they were also eating healthier than before._

 _"I'm ordering an entire chicken!" Yume declared as they sat down, while pumping her fist in the air._

 _The mood was fairly upbeat, since they managed to defeat a particularly powerful Kobold Elder that day. It wasn't as strong as Deathpatch, but Haruhiro had no doubt that it could have wiped out their group when they just started, so it was a testament to how far they had come that they could defeat one. The team wasn't without injuries, but thanks to Mary they pulled through the fight._

 _Speaking of which, Mary had once again opted not to join them for dinner. Knowing her, Haruhiro surmised she would later appear and take her usual drink or two. Well, it was no use forcing her to join them for a meal. A priest was a valuable asset to the team as they could heal all but the most severe injuries during and after a fight. If they pushed Mary, who was still emotionally recovering, she might leave the party and they'd be forced to find another Priest. While their skills, like all job classes, were theoretically the same there was a huge difference between a veteran and a novice. Whereas a veteran would be decisive, a novice might hesitate and that hesitation might get another party member_ _killed at a critical moment. Mary's past had also revealed to Haruhiro the deadly consequences of running out of magic in the middle of a fight. Plus, they'd have to train that new member slowly first and that would set them back financially. Then there was the time needed to form a rapport with the new member..._

 _All sorts of negative outcomes would arise from the loss of a team member._

 _"Hmm?"_

 _Speaking of new recruits..._

 _Haruhiro noticed a raven haired girl enter the tavern with her party members._

 _Her hair was in a bob-cut style and she wore the same style of clothes as Haruhiro did when he first started out. The girl, Choco was her name, was also a Thief much like Haruhiro. He had learned that much since their last meeting._

 _Seeing her stirred emotions and memories within the teenager. He really couldn't put his finger on what they meant though. The feeling was like when he first came to this world. There were echoes of a past life, words that felt familiar but he had no active knowledge of. Based on their earlier talk, she felt the same way too. Sort of. Both of them stopped short of admitting that they thought they knew each other. Haruhiro wasn't entirely sure either. Tonight, he felt strong emotions once again upon seeing her but it was for a different reason._

 _Her oafish warrior of a teammate was flirting with her. Loudly._

 _Alright, not that loud as to heard in the entire tavern (it was a big place after all) but it was noticeable. Choco's mood seemed to shift between being annoyed and uncomfortable from the barrage of passes the warrior threw at her. He didn't know how, but he could tell nonetheless. What Haruhiro felt upon witnessing the scene wasn't jealousy, rather it was close to righteous anger like when Ranta would insult a party member for some petty (sometimes non-existent) reason._

 _So he chose his course of action._

 _"Go on ahead guys," Haruhiro said to the others, "I gotta talk to someone."_

 _"Like who?!" Ranta asked, "You mean to tell me you have friends besides us?"_

 _"As a matter of fact I do," Haruhiro deadpanned, "Unlike someone I know."_

 _"Who-"_

 _"Come on now," Mogzo intervened, "Our table might get taken."_

 _"Who would dare?!" Ranta asked angrily, "Its our seat!"_

 _As the Dread Knight stomped off towards their spot raging at the imaginary foe, Haruhiro nodded a thanks to Mogzo and made his way to Choco's party._

 _"Choco."_

 _"You again!" the short girl that was always with Choco exclaimed, "What do you want this time? Can't you see she's busy?"_

 _The party halted their conversation to stare at Haruhiro except Choco who lowered her head upon noticing him. The pressure of their stares felt like a wall pushing him away. Such was the reaction of a team to someone they didn't know._

 _"Yeah, I can see that," Haruhiro said, "Got a minute?"_

 _He was surprised once again at how natural the last question came. It wasn't one from a guy asking a girl out (despite Master Barbara constantly egging him on). It was more like an old friend saying the usual line to another friend that they met everyday._

 _"Sure." Choco replied in a low voice._

 _"But Choco-!" The warrior making passes at her protested, however, Choco had already_ _walked forward._

 _"That's enough," their apparent leader said, "He looks like he's from the same Guild."_

 _Though Haruhiro's back was turned now he was secretly pleased at the warrior's sputtering protests._

 _"So?" Choco began as they occupied an empty table, "What did you want to talk about?"_

 _"Does that happen often?" Haruhiro asked, "You looked really..."_

 _"Pissed?" Choco finished, "Yeah, it does. Either he doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'no' or he's unbelievably stubborn. My answer's not changing either way."_

 _A waitress came and took their order. Haruhiro ordered a light alcoholic drink, the one that he was used to, while Choco ordered a fruit juice._

 _"You don't have to do this you know," She said after the waitress left, "My friend knows when to step in if gets really bad."_

 _"Choco must mean that short kid", Haruhiro thought, "No wonder she seemed protective of Choco whenever they met." The brown haired teenager chuckled._

 _"What's so funny?" his companion asked with a bit of indignation._

 _"Oh, no sorry." Haruhiro said quickly, "Its just that there's someone like that on our team as well, while its not exactly the same situation, Yume looks out for Shihoru."_

 _"Oh."_

 _At that particular moment Mary chose to enter the tavern. Her gaze wandered to the party's table and noticed that Haruhiro wasn't with them. She looked around the tavern and finally noticed him on the table with Choco. Haruhiro gave her his usual greeting: a smile and a half-raised hand. In response, Mary raised her eyebrow before making towards her spot on the bar._

 _"Who was that?" Choco asked with a bit of annoyance._

 _"Our party's Priest," Haruhiro replied, missing her tone, "we're lucky to have her. Most Priests probably wouldn't join our team."_

 _"Well, she's rude." Choco pouted._

 _"We got used to her, she does good work." Haruhiro said, turning to her, "How are things with you?_

 _"We got lucky today so we decided to celebrate," Choco placed a hand on her arm, "Actually, we had to change hunting grounds recently because..."_

 _"Heeey!~ Harucchi!" A singsong voice called out._

 _"Kikkawa." Haruhiro greeted._

 _The Warrior clutched a mug of his favorite drink as he ambled towards them, nimbly dodging patrons and tables alike. To people who didn't know Kikkawa, the warrior seemed a bit flighty and far from Crimson Moon material. However, Haruhiro knew that in order to survive you had to have some sort of skill or talent to make it in Grimgar. Indeed, he seemed to have a natural grace that his carefree disposition granted him. It wasn't really impressive that Kikkawa managed to join a veteran team, but rather the fact that he maintained his place in it already spoke volumes to the young Thief. If Kikkawa couldn't keep up then he'd be kicked out or worse - be a casualty on a hunt._

 _"Harucchi!" Kikkawa said in his usual relaxed voice, "Did you hear? They're prohibiting recruits from going to Damrrow for the time being because there's a really super tough Goblin that's taken over the low town now!"_

 _"Not just one Goblin too!" he continued, "but his posse as well! They have armor on them and know how humans fight! A different league from the regular mooks!"_

 _"That's the reason why we had to leave," Choco said, surprising Haruhiro, "We moved to the plains to hunt. We managed to catch a Spore by surprise and got its pollen. It sells for a really high price in the market."_

 _"Wow! You're Suuuper lucky!" Kikkawa exclaimed, "You must have gotten lucky!~~. Those nasty things release their spores when threatened and it could kill you in an hour if you inhaled it! That'd be reeaal bad!"_

 _The information surprised Haruhiro. Grimgar was a place where even the wildlife tried to kill you, but now it looked like there monsters that didn't really need to do anything other than exhale to take your life. Maybe he should do a bit more research on the different creatures around here._

 _"S'all their fault!" A voice rang out, "Thos' damn Gobbie Killers!"_

 _The three turned to see a party at their table, drinking and looking well on the way to being drunk._

 _Except one of them got there first._

 _It was a male, dressed in the distinct armor of Warriors - the starting armor. Mogzo had a similar suit in the beginning. His hair was matted and clung to his head in chaotic curls because of sweat and his face was a healthy pink from the sheer amount of alcohol he imbibed._

 _"They're the ones responsible on why 'e can't hunt in Damroww now!" he complained, "Bunch'a scumbags takin' what they want then leavin' us new recruits to fight the pissed elite Goblins!"_

 _Haruhiro's eyes widened upon realizing what the drunk volunteer was saying. Essentially, he was blaming them for garnering the attention of the Elite Goblins in Damroww's upper city._

 _"That's Gendo," Choco whispered, "He was with our batch when we first started. A real prick, ignore him."_

 _Haruhiro took Choco's advice and began to turn around when Gendo spoke again._

 _"Oi_ , _you there!"_

 _Haruhiro didn't turn around. For one thing, he wasn't even sure if he was the one addressed and he wanted to avoid trouble. He and the others might be banned from Sherry's if they started a fight._

 _"Ya think yer too good for us Gobbie killer?" Gendo continued. Haruhiro could now hear approaching footsteps. Shit._

 _"I heard that the leader of the Gobbie killers was a Thief!" Gendo said approaching their table, "And was a noob to boot! That must be you!"_

 _He pointed to Choco. Oh no._

 _Choco's apparel was the female version of the Thief's outfit that Haruhiro started out with. Since then he'd upgraded to a better set that consisted of hardened leather which included a vambrace. On the other hand, Choco was still wearing the basic white-and-red version of the starting armor. It would make sense that based on the outdated information that this Gendo fellow had he would mistake Choco, or probably any novice Thief be they male of female, to be Haruhiro. That and he was really drunk. With him standing close to them now there was no doubt about it. He probably didn't even recognize Choco as part of his batch in his current state._

 _"Now see here!" Choco's girl companion began, but she was ignored by Gendo. It really looked like he was going to pick a fight with Choco, so Haruhiro made his split-second decision._

 _"No, she's not." Haruhiro, "I am."_

 _He immediately felt his insides tighten. Crap. He really should have left that last part out. That was one the cons of those on-the-spot decisions. They were made to fix the immediate problem on hand._

 _"So you're the one eh?" Gendo said belligerently, "I thought it was girly over here, she looks even tougher than you."_

 _The immediate surroundings became quiet as the patrons observed the happening, though those from the upper tier reserved for Elite Squads still continued their talk, unaware of the events below them._

 _"I heard ya got your Priest killed in yer first month!" He said, "Lookin' at you now I can see why. You probably used him as a meat-shield as you ran for your sorry ass!"_

 _He made a move to jab his finger challengingly at Haruhiro's chest when a hand caught his arm._

 _The group turned to see Kikkawa holding Gendo's arm in a firm grip._

 _"Now, now don't talk bad about Mano-chi," Kikkawa said in his usual light tone and carefree expression though his body language was noticeably different._

 _"He saw his team was safe, and that was enough for him." Kikkawa continued, "plus it doesn't sound like any of your guys died, so don't act like a few Gobbies are a big deal."_

 _"Yeah, jerk-ass!" Choco cut in, her voice now abrasive, "The fact that you're here means you're the one who ran with your tail beneath your ass!"_

 _Before he could make a comeback, Kikkawa shoved Gendo back. Even in his drunken state it was hard to mistake Kikkawa's armor as anything but basic. It was obvious who'd win if the two Warriors fought._

 _"Crimson Moon members shouldn't fight, even amongst new recruits, children..." A masculine voice said._

 _Haruhiro turned to to see the commander of the Crimson Moon, Brittany, on the other side. Commander Brittany or Bri as he preferred to be called, sported a the body of a man who exercised regularly and was of a job that utilized heavy weapons. The thing was, he didn't dress like a man. He wore a wide and red vest that left his chest exposed, high-heeled boots. Brittany applied thick makeup and dyed his hair in a lurid shade of green though it was pink the last time Haruhiro saw him._

 _"But at least this little incident saved me some time."_

 _The commander thrust out a sheet of paper, a bounty poster to be specific, for all to see._

 _"The Crimson Moon is well aware that the recent situation in Damroww is beyond the capabilities of the recent recruits," Commander Bri declared, "Though our policy is not to interfere with your progress, situations like these demand intervention. So there's a bounty for the Goblin responsible for the little party taking place in Damroww's lower city. One Gold and Fifty Silvers! Plus all the loot you can get of course."_

 _"Buuut!~" He turned around to look at Haruhiro who remained speechless the entire time, "Since you and your team are experts in killing Goblins you get the first right to the contract!"_

 _Shit! Why was this happening to him?! Haruhiro's mind was in a panic. Yume and Mary were seriously injured the last time they went up against the elite Goblins, not to mention he almost died himself twice on that particular battle._

 _He could feel all eyes were on him now. At the corner of his eyes he saw Mary staring at him from bar and even Renji who, despite being an Elite, spent some time down level canvassing for potential recruits was looking at him. It almost felt like that time he signed the contract in the Velvet Room. He was sure it wasn't a dream now. The memory was extremely vivid, too much so to be a mere hallucination at the door of death. The contract reminded him of Manato's dream, which was now his: to make a better life here for his party. But it also doubled as a warning, that his decisions might lead to a party member getting killed._

 _"I'm waiting~~~~!" Commander Bri said, slowly waving the poster to and fro in front of Haruhiro._

 _Haruhiro took the parchment._

 _"Good for you!" Brittany declared, "Well, that's that! Now if you'll excuse me..." He made his way towards the upper level of the tavern._

 _"Hmpf! Get more recruits you say Earl?" Brittany muttered in a voice no one could hear._

 _"Tch!" Gendo got up and walked towards his table, the fall having sobered him up._

 _However, Kikkawa couldn't resist getting the last word in._

 _"Good luck Harucchi! Since you're the one who killed Death Patch a couple of Goblins shouldn't be much of a problem!"_

* * *

~ Sherry's Tavern, Present ~

"Hey, Haruhiro," Mogzo said, "Mary's here now."

"Thanks." Haruhiro stood up, "That's the plan for tomorrow, ask me any questions you might have when I get back."

"Hold it!" Ranta rose as well, "I see what you're doing here!"

"Well then, what am I doing?" Haruhiro asked, mainly because he honestly could not predict what Ranta was going to say next.

"You're two timing aren't you?!" the Dread Knight declared.

"Huh?" As dumb as the reply sounded it was the only thing that could escape Haruhiro's mouth when his mind couldn't process what Ranta had said.

"First off was that black haired girl from another party, when you first got us into this mess!" Ranta raised a finger, counting, "Now you're going after Mary? Right in front of the washboard here too! Don't you have any decency?"

"What the f-" Haruhiro cut his curse short, "I am not two timing anyone. I knew that person already, and I'm going over to Mary for-"

"WASHBOARD!?" Yume shot up screeching, Ranta's reference finally sinking in.

"Yeah, I call 'em as I see 'em." Ranta turned around.

As the two began to bicker he looked at Mogzo and Shihoru and both simply shook their heads. With that Haruhiro walked over to Mary while rehearsing his speech in his head and placed two silver coins on the counter. Enough for two of her usual drinks.

The party's Priest gave him a questioning look as he took his usual seat when he drank with her.

One seat apart.

"That's for the last three days," Haruhiro explained, "We weren't able to earn anything during that time. That means you didn't get anything. So this is a sort of apology."

"I thought we were a team." She said quietly.

"We are."

"Did you give the others something like this?"

"Uh, no." Haruhiro replied. Things weren't going as planned.

"Then I won't be needing this." She made a move to return the coins before Haruhiro grabbed her hand.

She gave him a blank stare that momentarily froze his mind. Despite this he knew why she was probably angry, at least he hoped he did.

"Its not what you think Mary," Haruhiro began, gathering his courage, "We're not excluding you or anything."

Geez, with that look Mary must have sent many admirers running away faster than a panicked horse.

"You see back at the lodge, we have supplies for ourselves from a common fund for - well everything that's not a personal expense." Haruhiro explained, "But since you live away, you must have been dipping into your personal savings for the last few days. As a team, we can't burden another member unduly."

"You're overthinking again," Mary sighed, "I already told you from the beginning that I'll be fine."

"I'm the party leader," Haruhiro said with a hint of sadness in his voice, "I have to think about everyone's wellbeing."

"Besides," He said, "Didn't you say I'm more of an executive than a dictator?"

"Hmpf, regarding that..."

"Just think of this as putting my mind at ease that I'm doing my job," Haruhiro said. If reasoning won't work then maybe a little begging would. And...

"You're a valued friend," Haruhiro finished, "And an indispensable party member. I think we owe you a drink or two."

"You're stubborn, do you know that?" She finally said.

"If I give up, I'll die." He repeated one of the first lessons he learned in this world.

"Well, that's that." He said, "I'll get some fresh air before rejoining the others, it looks like it will take a while."

Haruhiro stumbled out back of the tavern, his heart hammering in his chest. At least he made sure Mary didn't get the wrong idea of the two drinks. The pressure of being the leader when you were just an average person could sometimes be unbearable. Aside from the worry that someone might die at anytime he also had to think about their physical and mental wellbeing too. He sighed tiredly. If he could pass on this role to anyone he'd do so.

A couple of minutes later he finally calmed down and was ready to go back inside when he noticed a faint glow from the corner of his eyes.

Haruhiro's eyes widened when he saw a velvet door on the wall at the end of the alley. Could it be?

He walked over to it and twisted the knob.

Locked.

"Haruhiro?"

He almost jumped when he heard his name. He turned around to see Shihoru looking at him inquisitively.

"Shit!" He thought in a panic, "Did she see?"

"Are you alright?" She asked.

The wheels slowly stopped spinning in his head. Didn't she see the door? No, she didn't. There was no reflection of the door in her eyes. With that glow there was sure to be one.

"Uh, just getting some fresh air, that's all." He replied hastily.

"Oh. We saw you walk out back," Shihoru replied timidly, "Ranta said you might be meeting that girl out here for-"

 _Damn that Ranta to hell!_

"No, no." Haruhiro said rubbing his face frustratedly, "I'm not seeing anyone! I just met her a couple of times because we're in the same guild. That's all!"

It was partially true. Haruhiro didn't really see any other Thief in the guild headquarters whenever he went over.

"Oh. Sorry." She apologized.

"How are things inside?" He asked, changing the topic.

"They've quieted down a bit."

"I see." He said, "Best time to go in then."

He hoped tomorrow would go really well.

* * *

~ Damroww, Next Day ~

 _Shit!_

Haruhiro hacked up blood as he struggled to rise.

They were lured into a trap.

The Goblin in charge of the gathering acted as bait with only a small guard when the party attacked. Once they were committed, the Goblin leader blew a horn and now they were surrounded by every Goblin that had heard the call.

During the fight Mogzo had taken a nasty hit from a Hobgoblin's giant hammer that had brought him to his knees, bleeding. It was only his helmet, which they had bought a few weeks ago, that had saved him from being killed outright.

Mary, Shihoru and Yume were bunched in a tight triangle, ready to fend off an attack from the Goblins which had surrounded the party. Ranta was on his own, ready to come to one who needed help the most. As for Haruhiro...

He imagined he had a broken rib at the very least, though he was shivering from something. Probably physical shock.

When the hammer had struck Mogzo Haruhiro jumped in from behind, initiating [Back Stab], but the Hobgoblin turned too quickly and slammed the ridiculously large weapon right onto his chest. Thankfully, the attack was more of a reflex and was the only thing that prevented his entire chest from caving in.

 _Guh! Guh! Guh!_ the lead Goblin seemed to be laughing at the situation. If any of the uninjured members broke the formation the rest would be swarmed. The Priest, Mary, couldn't heal more than one person at a time, leaving the others open to attack.

"This is my fault..." Haruhiro thought sadly, If only he'd turned down the offer they wouldn't be in this mess.

By this time the Goblin leader stopped laughing and pointed at the trio bunched together, a small group of Goblins took aim at...Mary. These Goblins knew that if you killed the Priest, the human's survival rate would drop exponentially.

No. No. No. No.

Manato's last moments flashed before Haruhiro's eyes, followed by the bloodied bodies of his friends.

"I want..." He rose painfully even as time seemed to slow, "...to save my..."

Within his mind a light flashed and voices rushed outwards in a confusing cacophony.

 _Summon us!_

 _Use our power!_

On and on the voices repeated but then came one voice. One clearer above the clamor.

 _No, summon **ME**!_

A translucent card seemed to float before Haruhiro and spun in place.

Despite headache of epic proportions now in his mind due to the voices he reached out to grab the card.

 _I am..._

His hand crushed the card.

 _Per...sona!_

The sound of cracking glass could be heard as a blue mist formed around the Thief. The air seemed to shift violently in every direction causing every living being inside the building to look in his direction - and the thing above him.

* * *

~ The Velvet Room ~

"Finally..." Minako smiled.

* * *

Author's Note:

Oh no! A cliffhanger!

Well, this chapter's a pretty long one by my standards and I was going for an episode-like ending with it.

As for the delay in all my stories, I recently came out of the most challenging two months in life (five weeks of non-stop exams) and while the effort paid off there's more challenges ahead for me.

Anyway, for those reading the light novel I've decided to follow the events there and not the anime. For the benefit of some there are two major divergences between the two. In the light novels Ranta is still unbelievably obnoxious (The author has a real talent in depicting Ranta's primary trait) and it was Mary who suggested going to the Siren Mines. The last one is significant because the way Mary says it suggests _she_ wanted to go there for closure and to exorcise her zombified team members, not just merely to give advice to Haruhiro for an alternative hunting ground. The anime takes this event on a different track by her freaking out upon the suggestion and while it kind of achieves the same dramatic effect, its not as poignant as the light novel version.

As to my other fanfics, The Plavsky Effect will also get a new update because of a refinement in the story plot line. Hint: It involves a relatively unheard of Gundam, and said Gundam has no Gunpla release to date, even an SD.

For Forgotten History, I really want to finish this project especially since we're getting to the juicy part of arc 1 (I know its a slow fic) but I just haven't been feeling the new volume and it doesn't give me the inspirational boost to write at the moment. No offense to the Rooster Team, but while the plot may follow Monty Oum's notes I can't feel his signature on the recent episodes.

Until next time.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

THE BRINGER OF FIRE

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Persona or Grimgar.

* * *

~ Damrrow, Grimgar ~

The air swirled around the building as the thing materialized above Haruhiro. _Thing_ was apt because it was only the word that the Party, and the Goblins, with their alien minds, could describe the apparition.

It was humanoid in shape but composed purely of fire. For its eyes there were only hollow circles of light which streamed out of. Its mouth also radiated the same light but rather than a simple 'O' it looked like the humanoid was locked in a perpetual scream.

Then dark matter resolved around its flaming body. The darkness resolved into geometric shapes which began to slam themselves onto the body as if imprisoning the being within themselves. All that was left were a few lines that allowed the glow of the fiery form to escape, as if only letting the bare minimum of air enter a prison. Except for the being's abdomen.

On its abdomen ran a gigantic fissure as if torn apart by some violent force. It was on this wound-like opening that the lines of fire converged where gouts of flame erupted like an injury that bled profusely.

All this took only took moments, though for the Humans and the Goblins the manifestation took longer than that. No one could move. Not even when the being spoke.

 _ **Thou art I,**_

 _ **And I am thou,**_

 _ **Amongst the Sea of Souls I have been chosen,**_

 _ **I am Prometheus!**_

 _ **The Bringer of Fire,**_

 _ **The Defier of Fate!**_

 _ **With this Flame, let us forge a destiny of our own make!**_

And Haruhiro...

Haruhiro's expression looked nothing like himself. In the place of the mild mannered boy, was the expression of maddened person. His eyes were wide as if in the middle of a revelation, his mouth split open in a manic grin.

His party was the first to move. Shihoru took a single step back in fright upon seeing their leader's expression. It was a single step, but the sound it made reverberated around the room like a thunderclap.

The Goblins with crossbows fired at the creature deeming it a greater threat than the Human, whose expression they couldn't read. The arrows bounced off harmlessly against the creature's armor while those that struck the flaming lines predictably burst into fire. Still wearing his crazed look Haruhiro spoke, the words of command already known, as if they were in his mind.

"Bash."

 _Prometheus_ swung an armored fist at unbelievable speeds towards the trio of Goblins that attacked. The Goblin in the center took the attack head on and was smashed to bloody pulp. One was grazed by the persona's fist and spun in the air to land in a sickening crack a few feet away. The third crossbow using Goblin also suffered a glancing shot, but this time to its leg. The appendage gave no resistance as it crumpled and the creature howled in agony as it rolled on the floor clutching at its ruined limb.

"GWAAA!" A Hobgoblin, lacking the sense (or intelligence) to be initially afraid, charged at _Prometheus_ its giant hammer held high to deliver a crushing blow.

"Agi."

The assailant burst into flame a moment later and quickly redirected its course. Dropping its hammer, the Hobgoblin sought to put out the fires on its body by running around, obeying its own instinct to escape pain. This further disorganized the other Goblins who were shocked at the display. No human had ever been able to this before. At least none that they had ever encountered.

Haruhiro then turned to the blue Goblin. The leader who had taken over the lower area of Damrrow. It took a step back.

"Agi."

Fire engulfed the armored Goblin. It howled in pain as the fire melted the metal armor on its body. It patted itself violently in an effort to douse the flames, but they were magical and could not be put out so easily. Much like the Hobgoblin, it ran but it didn't get very far as the injuries it suffered in those few moments were fatal. The Goblin leader collapsed in charred heap, the smell of roasted flesh pungent in the air. The sight and smell were the only things the rest of the Goblins that answered the war horn needed to see.

They ran.

They ran screaming in their alien tongue in disorganized groups, some falling from heights that they clambered over easily earlier while others trampled their compatriots to death in an effort to escape. Within a few minutes, the once packed building was devoid of the creatures except for the corpses left behind. And Haruhiro's Party.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Ranta muttered continuously under his breath while holding on to his sword and fighting to stop his trembling.

Mary had taken up a defensive stance, arms spread out protectively over Shihoru and Yume who looked fearful and confused about what just happened. As a healer, her first instinct was to try to heal the still bleeding Mogzo there was a problem. His prone form lay between her and Haruhiro as well as the _thing_. She didn't know if any sudden movements might provoke them as the Goblins learned the hard way. Mary also wasn't sure if using magic, even Healing magic, would have the same effect. However, time was running out as the wounded Warrior was bleeding out fast. Then Haruhiro looked at Mogzo. Terror filled the Priest as she realized based on his previous gesture that he was going to cast-

"Dia."

Green light suffused Mogzo and his once open wounds closed immediately, his breathing also stabilized. If it wasn't for the rent armor or the large amounts of blood one might think that the tank had decided to take an afternoon nap. Yume gasped as the party looked on with surprise.

A sound was heard and the group turned to see that Haruhiro had collapsed, the creature above him quickly fading from reality in white-grey particles as if made from ash...

* * *

~ The Velvet Room** ~

Haruhiro opened his eyes to find that he was in the Velvet Room once more. Across him sat Igor, with an amused grin on his face. A velvet card, depicting a fiery humanoid with black armor with a rent in its abdomen that spewed fire, rotated in mid-air before Igor.

"Interesting," The bald man said examining the spinning card, "Very Interesting, So much like the others, but fundamentally different."

"Ah, but enough of this for now," He focused on Haruhiro now, "Congratulations in awakening your potential! Though I must say that my assistant's assessment of you was correct. You are not like those who have come before you."

"And without an Evoker too!" Minako said cheerily behind Igor, "I'm a full-fledged attendant now too by the way. It'll be a pleasure working with you!"

The bald man cleared his throat, as if warning Minako that she speaking too much.

"Now then, if you don't mind," Igor said, "I'll be keeping this here for study. It will be brief, mind you. You should be able to summon your persona anytime once you wake."

Igor closed his fist and the card vanished, almost as if he pocketed it with a magician's trick.

"My...persona?" Haruhiro half-whispered, half-asked.

"Yes," Igor affirmed, "Its name is _Prometheus_. It is of the Fool Arcana, but you do not seem to be a Wild Card. Quite unusual. Now then, do you have any questions?"

"Yes!" Haruhiro blurted out, his shock wearing off, "What is a persona?! What just happened back there?!"

"A persona is a manifestation of the mind," Igor replied, "It is a mask that humans project for a variety of reasons, the most common of which is to face hardships."

The explanation made little sense to the young Thief, then Minako spoke.

"As for what happened, you summoned your persona into reality," She said, giving a mathematician's answer, "And it most likely wrecked things."

That didn't help either.

"Why don't you explain some of our 'services' to our guest?" Igor began, "Since you seem so eager to go about your duties, I will analyze Prometheus here in the meantime."

"This way." Minako led him to a door to the side of the "Carriage". It definitely wasn't there before.

Inside was a much smaller room, almost like a booth but larger. There was a round table with two chairs of the same shade as the Velvet Room.

"So...here's the deal." Minako began, "The Velvet Room's services are strictly confined here. We can fuse Persona's, summon them, or even craft items. But that's Igor's area of expertise. In fact, I can't do any of that. Not my role."

"I was supposed to keep a compendium of all the personas you would summon", The brunette leaned back and crossed her arms, "But it looks like that won't be the case. Igor said you're not a Wild Card so I don't know what's going to happen to the compendium I prepared."

"I put a lot of extra effort into it too." She sighed.

"Sorry for being untalented." Haruhiro thought bitterly.

"Wait, what's a Wild Card?" he asked, picking up the term for the third time now.

"A Wild Card is a Persona user who can summon multiple Personas," Minako raised her index finger while tilting her chin upwards and closing her eyes. It looked like she was ready to launch into a lecture.

"Normally, Persona users can only summon one Persona at a time," She explained, "Wild Cards are _much_ more rare due to their aforementioned ability."

"Ordinary huh..." Haruhiro muttered self-depreciatingly, "Well I do know this one guy in town, he's really strong so can he..."

He was about to mention Renji when Minako cut him off.

"No one gets in here without approval," She said sternly, "So whoever this guy is, he's not approved."

"Again, only you can enter the Velvet Room. No invites either. Should they somehow manage to get in, and that's happened only once before by accident**, I can't really be sure how the Master is going to respond to that."

Master? Did she mean Igor? Her tone, though, brooked no argument so Haruhiro let the topic drop.

"Persona users aren't based on strength alone," Minako continued, "It is currently indeterminate as to who can summon one or why. Never mind the Wild Cards."

"Well, at least for the others," She smiled wistfully, "I know a couple of ways to force a summoning, and the end result is _not_ pretty."

The tone made Haruhiro shudder. Whatever it was, it seemed to be as terrible as she hinted it to be. Could she...do that to a person?

"um..."

"But I digress," She smiled at him in a way that made his face redden, "My services include storing equipment and forging weapons. I'll also be sending out requests from time to time. Not for Igor, but for me. We talked it over and since the previous assistants could do so, I can too."

The things mentioned to Haruhiro were once again becoming very confusing.

"Well, that's that!" Minako said, "You can always come back if you have any other questions. You should have some when all of this sinks in."

When the returned Igor was where they left him, as well as the still rotating card depicting Prometheus.

"Most intriguing," Igor said, "Unlike most Persona wielders, your Persona actually draws strength from _all_ the bonds you make. This means its strength, _your_ strength, will depend on your Social Links."

"My...Social Links?" Haruhiro repeated, hoping that something would make sense in this meeting.

"Social Links are the bonds you form with people in the outside world," Igor explained, "They are usually your close friends or those you have yet to forge a bond with. What matters is your interaction with them."

The bald man extended a crooked arm and Minako handed something to the proprietor.

"I think that covers everything for now. You may, after all, return here whenever you wish."

"One more thing," Igor held out something that glittered, "You will need this to enter the Velvet Room, seek out the entrance in your world. It should be in a place familiar to you."

Haruhiro took the item. It was silver key with a purple diamond in the center. There was a faint glow about it that produced the glitter he noticed earlier.

"Now, then I believe it is time for you to return to your world."

* * *

~ Altana, Healing Lodge ~

Haruhiro opened his eyes to find himself in a bed. Unlike the straw mattress he used in the Lodge, this one consisted of cloth and feathered interior making it refreshingly soft. It was nearing midday based on the light coming in from nearby window that allowed a gentle breeze in. He struggled to rise but fell back onto the bed. He felt extremely weak, almost like there were weights tied to his limbs.

The soft pattering of footsteps could be heard and a novice Priest entered, carrying with her a bowl of steaming soup on a tray. A look of surprise came to her face, causing her to almost drop the tray. Without a word she turned and left the room.

The sudden action puzzled him, though not for long as he heard people running towards the room.

"Haruhiro!"

His party practically burst in the room, almost getting stuck at the door when they simultaneously tried to enter. Though one was missing.

"Hey-"

"Don't 'Hey!' us!" Yume shouted at him, stunning Haruhiro, "We thought you'd never wake up!"

"Well, with that kind of bed I don't think I'd wanna get up either." Ranta said, not realizing how he made the sentence sound.

The group gave him an annoyed glare but turned back towards their leader.

"What happened to the Goblins?" Haruhiro asked, his voice as weak as his body, "How long was I out?"

"A week." came a voice from the door.

Mary entered last, and it was clear to Haruhiro why. There were dark circles underneath her eyes, indicating she had not been getting any sleep lately.

"The Goblins ran away after... _it_ appeared." Mogzo said hesitantly, "We gathered as much loot as we could then we brought you here, to Altana as fast as we could."

"I heard you were the one that healed me," the Warrior added quietly, "Thank you. I was unconscious at that time."

"I...did?" Haruhiro wondered, "I don't remember anything. The last thing I saw was that some Goblins were taking aim and-"

"People who say: 'I don't remember' often have something to hide." Came a masculine voice form the doorway.

The group turned around to find Commander Bri standing there, dressed in his usual revealing clothing, makeup as thick as ever.

"Now, I have a few questions for our young man here if you don't mind," He said, "So please leave the room."

He jerked his thumb back for emphasis.

"He just woke up!" Mary protested.

Bri gave Mary a look that dared her to defy him again. Finally, Yume led the Priest by the hand and group hesitantly shuffled out of the room leaving Haruhiro alone with the commander.

"Geez, they act like I have nothing better to do," Bri muttered to himself.

"Now then young man," The Crimson Moon commander pulled a chair for himself and propped one of his legs on the bed, the sharp heel of his boot uncomfortably close to one of Haruhiro's thighs, "Care to tell me what happened?"

"Uh, well," Haruhiro began, "I was actually telling the truth sir. The last thing I remember was a group of Goblins taking aim at our Party. Then I just sort of blacked out. Mogzo, our tank, said something about a creature appearing but-"

"Did you know _it_ appeared above you?" Bri interrupted, "Or that it apparently took orders from you? Casting fireballs and healing spells or some such."

"I've heard only high level Dread Knights can summon something like that," He stared at Haruhiro, waiting for a reaction, "You didn't change jobs when no one was looking did you? Hmmm? Don't be shy. Its not like its illegal or anything."

"Huh?! No! No!" Haruhiro shook his head, "I wouldn't do a thing like that! I think the life of a Thief suits me anyway sir."

Bri said nothing, but mentally determined that Haruhiro wasn't lying. He had also rifled through the young man's belongings before coming here but found nothing unusual. His teammates were careless that way, letting their worry override their senses. It was another harsh lesson they had to learn in Grimgar but unfortunately (for them), it was not his place to teach them that.

"Well, then maybe you just thought something wasn't important enough but it actually was. Maybe you knocked over a magic statue holding a demonic entity and now you're possessed hmm? So tell me everything, from the beginning."

Haruhiro narrated on how everything started which, coincidentally, began that night Bri handed him the bounty poster. He moved through the events of their preparation and how they were ambushed despite the preliminary reconnaissance. Bri noted this part as he had come across Haruhiro's notebook when he went through his things. Finally Haruhiro reached the part where he passed out and hesitated about whether or not he should tell the commander about the Velvet Room.

"Was I here the entire time sir?" He asked.

"If you mean when you were unconscious, then yes," Bri affirmed, "Why?"

"Oh, its just that I had this dream..."

"Was I in it?"

"...No."

"Then I'm not interested," Bri waved a hand, "I'm a commander, not a seer."

The Crimson Moon Company commander exhaled after a short while as he processed the information. All in all he could really find nothing unusual in the events and the boy was obviously telling the truth. _Or at least what he thought was the truth_. The situation will bear watching.

Ugh. More work that could turn out to be a waste of time.

"Well, aside from the strange events, I also came here to give you this..."

Bri placed two gold coins on the desk beside the bed. The coins glittered in the sunlight and represented more money in one place than Haruhiro had ever seen in Grimgar.

"We actually found another elite Goblin corpse when we investigated the site," Bri said as he stood up, "So there's an additional fifty silvers on top of the original bounty."

"Don't spend it all on one girl...or guy. I won't judge." He said as he left.

Moments later his party streamed in asking a barrage of questions. Haruhiro wished he could just go back to sleep.

* * *

~ Road to Altana, Grimgar ~

The day in the Siren mines ended like any other and the team trudged home. Somewhere along the way, they decided to stop for snacks. This had become fairly normal for them as fighting was strenuous work, fatigue and hunger being the logical consequences of such an activity. Only today was not ordinary.

They all had their roles to play in battle but today he had barely got a shot it. Ranta was more aggressive than usual (Which was really surprising) while Mogzo put more weight into his swings, finishing off opponents in one hit. Yume used her bow more often than usual, and Shihoru now used [Magic Arrow] an offensive skill she was hesitant to learn from the beginning. Even Mary stepped into the front every now and then, abandoning her 'watch-and-wait' tactic and using her mace to devastating effect much like Manato had before.

The result was a much more efficient pace compared to their cautious stance before, allowing them to clear an area with little to no difficulty. However, the air was charged, sort of like when Mary first joined the party. Haruhiro also caught the party stealing glances at each other throughout the entire time, up until he declared that they were taking a break a ways off the road. Now they ate their meal in silence, eyes rarely meeting and not holding any gazes for very long. It was a far cry from the talkative breaks they had before.

"Argh! I can't take it anymore!" Ranta declared, surprising everyone.

He stood up and pointed at Haruhiro.

" 'Fess up!" He yelled, "You changed job classes behind our backs didn't you?! Only Dread Knights like me can summon demons! Well there's room for only one of us in this party!"

"What in the h-" Haruhiro almost groaned, "I already told you, I didn't change jobs! I don't know what happened because I was unconscious at the time!"

"Then how do you explain that guy on fire? Huh?!"

"I can't. I'm not even sure if that was my doing." Haruhiro said truthfully. During the entire day he didn't hear any voices nor had he felt the same thing when he first called forth Prometheus.

Curiously, Ranta didn't say anything else but continued giving him a suspicious look.

Silence descended upon the group.

"Alright, we've had a long day," Haruhiro began trying to change the subject.

"Haruhiro-kun" Yume began.

"...So we'll just rest up when we get back and..."

"Um, Haruhiro," Mogzo started politely.

"Then we can sell the loot we collected tomorrow since we still have some money left over from..."

"Haru." Mary's voice cut him off in mid-speech.

"Is something wrong?" The party's leader asked, confused about what was unsatisfactory with his plan this time.

"You did it again." Shihoru said audibly.

"Did what?" Haruhiro asked, genuinely missing the point.

"You went and risked yourself back there! Idiot!" Yume said loudly, "Again! Just like Date Paths!"

"You mean Death Patch." Mogzo corrected her.

"Whatever happened back there rendered you unconscious for an entire week." Mary said, "Nothing we did could revive you. Magic. Medicine. Nothing. It almost seemed like you died."

"I was gonna splash water on you to wake you up," Ranta said jerking his thumb at the others, "But as usual these wusses don't listen to me."

"You don't have to do all the work," Mogzo said, "We can do better to contribute just like we did today at the mines."

"So don't go risking yourself again like that!" Yume said, "I practiced a lot so I can shoot arrows much better now!"

"I also learned [Magic Arrow] since my Shadow Magic won't work on some opponents." Shihoru added.

"Trust in your team, your friends more." Mary said quietly from the sides.

So that was it. His brain told him that what they did today was incredibly reckless even if they wanted to help him but on an emotional level he was touched. In a way, the results were undeniable. They had performed much better than before than any other battle. Even when they were fighting for their lives. A strong emotion welled up in him.

Just then, time seemed to stop and the breaking of glass could be heard. A card, trailed by faint blue mist descended slowly in front of Haruhiro. Surprised at how the other's couldn't seem to see the card he took it and a voice spoke.

 ** _Thou art I,_**

 ** _I am thou,_**

 ** _To you who tread the shadowed path,_**

 ** _Thou shall be blessed when clothed with the Fool Arcana._**

Time returned to normal for Haruhiro and he looked up to see the group smiling at him, though Mary seemed notice something was off.

"Okay," He reassured them, "I'll be counting on you guys."

* * *

~ The Velvet Room* ~

Minako opened the Compendium she had made for her guest and examined the first entry in it: The Fool Arcana.

How Haruhiro obtained it was par for the course, but as to how it would be used...

"So... That's how it works." A thin smile crept on her face.

* * *

Author's Note:

* At this point in time, its obvious what theme should be playing. ^_^

** When the members of SEES completed the labyrinth in The Answer.

Here's chapter 3! To those who sent ideas over for the personas, thank you for the suggestions and I will consider them as the second tier evolution for Haruhiro's Persona. Before chapter 2 was even completed, however, and even before the suggestions came in, Prometheus was already chosen. Not only does his name mean forethought, one of the MC's primary characteristics but his legend shares a lot of similarities with Haruhiro's predicament.

In the myths Prometheus' act of giving fire to humans was unquestionable, however, some sources say he stole it from the gods while others say he just outright gave it. This one single act led humans to become what they are, making a place for themselves in the world rather than just eking out a living like the other creatures on Earth. This is very much in line with one of the themes of Grimgar.

The appearance of Prometheus here is based on an imprisoned as well as a tortured being much like legend. The twist is the fire motif which the Titan is based upon. The black material is symbolizes the mountain he was chained to as well as the chains that bound him and combined with the tortured expression symbolizes Haruhiro's internal conflict within himself as the leader.

Lastly, Prometheus seems a bit too overpowered as a starting Persona but upon a quick replay of P3P most low level Personas had a similar load out of abilities so I decided to go ahead with it.

For those of you watching the anime, the ending was nice but noticeably much happier than it was in the novels. As with all things though, that arc just a prelude of what is to come.

Until next time.


End file.
